The Kiss Cam AUs
by siophiefandom
Summary: A series of seven short, independent stories featuring Paige, Emily, and the Kiss Cam. Each story takes place in its own alternate universe. Seven days of Paily. Rated T for some adult language in some of the episodes
1. Episode 1: Skipping Bio

**A/N - Hi there!**

 **This set of stories came from a simple suggestion from that prolific prompter, _thecatfromaliceinwonderland_ :**

How about a Kiss Cam AU?! You know Kiss Cams right?! Maybe at an icehockey/baseball game?!

 **I got really excited about the idea and immediately thought of a couple of different directions that the story could take. I was about to write back and ask for clarification, but it occurred to me that it might be fun to write a series of short episodes covering each of the options.**

 **So, over the next seven days, I'll be posting a series of quick fics, each of which takes place in its own alternate universe. The only things they have in common are Paily and the kiss cam.**

 **I hope it's as fun for you as it's been for me! :)**

 **Off we go!**

* * *

 _They were holding hands._

Emily bit her lip as her mind replayed the events of the evening, right up to the events of a few seconds before.

It had been a last-minute thing. The boys' basketball coach had gotten four tickets to the Sixers game, and wanted to reward his star player, Ben Coogan. There was no doubt what Ben was going to do with the tickets. His girlfriend, Emily, would get one, of course. And wherever Emily and Ben went, Paige and Sean were with them. They had been inseparable since sophomore year.

Emily and Paige had met on the swim team. Initially rivals, they ended up being great friends, training together and rooting for each other. Paige was the one who introduced Ben to Emily. Not long after that, Ben set Paige up with Sean. They loved going on double dates, since they were all friends even outside their dating relationships. Eventually, they became known as Mount Rushmore, since their four faces always showed up together.

Although they were all athletic and were really into sports, Ben and Sean took it to another level. So, when they got to the Wells Fargo Center, Ben and Sean ended up sitting next to each other, with Paige and Emily next to them. It was better that way. Sean and Ben were hooting, high-fiving, and jumping out of their seats with excitement pretty much from start to finish. Paige and Emily were getting into the game, too, but in their own way: Hugging occasionally after a great shot or clinging to each other's hands when there was an important free throw to be made. Basically, a lot of hugging and clinging, the way friends do.

But it wasn't that surprising, then, when the kiss cam started flashing images of couples throughout the stands, that the director assumed that Paige and Emily were together. They didn't their images on the Jumbotron at first, not picking up on it until the other fans in their section started whistling and looking in their direction. Emily looked at Paige in shock, and Paige kind of shrugged, with a devious smile. Paige was always such a goofball, willing to do anything for a laugh. She turned to Emily with her arms outstretched, and before Emily could protest, started to kiss her.

That really made the crowd go wild. Even Ben and Sean joined in, playing along. Whether he thought it was funny or he just got off on the idea of two girls kissing, the arena's director knew good TV when he saw it, so he stayed on them longer than he had for the other couples. And Paige milked it for all it was worth – undulating her shoulders and pretending that she was really going to town on Emily.

But, the thing was, she _was_ actually kissing Emily. And, somewhere along the way, their bodies forgot that they were only fooling around.

And, somewhere along the way, if only a brief moment, their minds may have forgotten that they were straight.

After the camera panned away, Paige, concerned, took Emily's hand to comfort her. "Are you okay?" she whispered, her eyes staring deeply into Emily's.

Emily was shaken by the experience. She couldn't find her voice. Paige's eyes narrowed in regret and guilt, until Emily finally managed to nod her head and choke out, "I'm fine." She covered Paige's hand with her other hand and gave it a slight, reassuring squeeze. But Paige could tell that she wasn't.

Paige looked over at Sean, who was giving her a leering thumbs up, and Ben, who was pumping his fist. Paige lowered her head. Emily rubbed her shoulder, smiling, reminding her that it was all in fun.

And she kept holding Paige's hand. At first, it was just to make sure that Paige was okay. It wasn't unusual for them to hold hands in public. That's the kind of friends they were. Nobody questioned it. At some point, they interlocked their fingers. Emily didn't remember when it had happened or who had initiated it. But she liked how it felt.

Things were a bit more subdued between them for the rest of the game. Paige couldn't even look at her anymore. Whenever someone made a nice shot or a good play, Paige kind of turned her head halfway towards Emily and smiled, but it was as if an invisible wall had been erected between them. Emily brushed her hand through her hair as an excuse to let go of Paige's hand. Somehow, it didn't feel right to keep holding it.

Things only got more awkward between them after that evening. They hardly saw each other, and, when they did, they barely spoke. With swimming season over, they were on their own practice schedules. Usually, they practiced together, but Paige ended up switching to night sessions. Emily took the hint.

* * *

When Emily saw Paige at the other end of the hall, heading towards her, she briefly considered ducking aside, into one of the classrooms, but she realized that she couldn't hide from this confrontation forever. She tightened her grip on her books, raising them a little higher as a kind of shield over her heart. "Hi, Paige," she said in a weak voice, with a weak smile.

Paige lowered her head. "Emily." Paige kind of shuffled her feet from side to side, wanting to say something, but not having any idea what. Emily took a long look at Paige, hating how cold and distant things had become between them, and hating that Paige just kept avoiding the situation. She let her eyes drop, focusing on her books.

"Hey, listen, Em. About that kiss." Emily looked up, the smallest hint of hope on her face. "I'm… I'm really sorry."

Emily exhaled deeply through her nose, the blood draining from her face. Paige was sorry. It was a regret to her. Emily should've known better. "It's fine, Paige." Emily's tone was flat and resigned. Her expression was clearly saying the opposite of her words. It was not fine. She was not okay.

Paige could sense it. She could tell from Emily's reaction that she had said the wrong thing. She really _was_ sorry about the kiss, but not about the _act_ of kiss itself. She was sorry about the _fact_ of the kiss, what the kiss had done to them and to their friendship.

Paige felt powerless, sensing their friendship slipping away from them. Desperate to say something, she blurted out, "How's Ben."

"Ben?" Emily barked, annoyed. "How's _Ben_?" She couldn't believe that that was all Paige had to say to her. She sighed deeply, to keep her emotions in check. "Ben's _fine_ ," she said, stepping aside. "I'll see you later."

All that Paige could see was her future walking away from her. She wanted to say something, but, whenever she did, she only made things worse. She really wished she could rewind and go back to that night, up until the kiss. Up till and including the kiss, she realized. She turned quickly and put her hand on Emily's shoulder. Emily spun around, with fire in her eyes. "Wha–"

She didn't have a chance to finish. Paige's lips were too fast.

Emily couldn't believe it was happening, right in the middle of the hall, where everyone could see them. But, before long, she didn't care. Everything melted away. Her books fell to the floor as she threaded her fingers in Paige's hair, pulling her tighter, losing herself in the kiss. "Oh, God," she moaned, and Paige, panicking, pulled away. Emily pulled her right back in.

"I've wanted to do that ever since the game," Paige admitted breathlessly, between kisses.

"Well, what the hell were you waiting for?" Emily never interrupted the rhythm of their kisses.

"I don't know," Paige gurgled. "What do you have after this?" she whispered, during their next breathing break.

"Bio," Emily answered, with her lips never fully losing contact with Paige's.

"Want to skip it?"


	2. Episode 2: Shiny Tuxedo

Emily burst out laughing as soon as she opened her apartment door. She could hardly believe what she was seeing: Paige, with a dopey smile on her face, wearing a shimmery, metallic, silver tuxedo, with red shoes, a red necktie, red sunglasses – and even red dye in her hair.

Paige spread her arms out wide when she saw Emily's reaction, giving her a theatrical, "Tada!"

"Paige!" Emily couldn't stop laughing. " _What_ are you wearing?"

"Hey! You know that this game is being televised nationally, right? Dressed like this, I'm guaranteed to get on TV!"

"Oh, God!" Emily sighed, putting her hand on Paige's shoulder. "You're crazy!" Emily shook her head. "Why would you even _want_ to be on TV dressed like that?"

Paige put her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders, her lips together but still smiling.

Emily sighed, a bit subdued. This wasn't the way that she had planned things. She had been looking forward to the game for a few weeks, ever since Paige invited her to see Temple University play in Philadelphia's Fab Five basketball tournament. And, that afternoon, she had spent a good half hour in front of the mirror after she got dressed, psyching herself up. This was the day. She was finally going to say something.

Paige and Emily had known each other all their lives. They grew up together. But Emily was two years younger than Paige, and Paige always thought of her as her little sister. Emily wanted Paige to know that she wasn't a little kid anymore.

She had carefully chosen her outfit to say as much: Dark blue skinny jeans, a white, slightly tight cashmere top, cropped just above the navel, and a short, black faux-leather jacket.

"Wow!" Paige said, snapping her head back when she saw the culmination of Emily's weeks of wardrobe planning. "You look amazing, Em!"

Emily smiled, dipping her head and pushing her hair behind her ear. "Oh, crap!" she shouted, switching from a slight swoon to a slight panic when it hit her. She slapped her forehead with her palm and cried out, "I'm not wearing anything red!"

Paige scrunched her lips as she thought it over for a second, then smiled as she announced, "I've got you covered!" She unclasped a small, red pin with the "T" for Temple logo that she had been wearing on her lapel. As her hands reached out towards Emily, she paused. "May I?"

Emily could hardly breathe. Her lips curled into a shy smile, and she nodded her head slightly. She was sure that Paige could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she stepped in closer to attach the pin to the black leather jacket. Emily closed her eyes as Paige gently patted the lapel down into place and asked her, "How's that?"

"Beautiful," Emily shuddered, slowly opening her eyes. She hoped that Paige understood that she was talking about the pin, although she herself wasn't sure that wasn't actually talking about Paige.

She stepped out of the doorway, locking the door behind her. Paige, standing next to her, extended her elbow, doffing an imaginary top hat. "Milady!"

Emily eagerly took Paige's arm, laughing. "Where did you even get that… that get-up?"

"Pssshh! This old thing?" Paige scoffed. "I've had it for years! Just never had a good enough excuse to wear it out before!"

"Paige!" Emily touched Paige's shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding onto her elbow. Her smile was electric.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Paige said matter-of-factly. "It's from Rosewood Costume Shop, of course."

"Oh." Emily deflated a little.

 _Rosewood Costume Shop.  
Of course._

 _Shana._

Shana was so mature and sophisticated. It was no wonder Paige thought of Emily as a kid, by comparison.

Shana and Paige weren't dating, but it was impossible to miss the way that Paige looked at her. Emily knew that she couldn't compete with that. Paige would never look at her like that.

It was just as well, Emily rationalized, that she had lost her nerve, thrown off her game by the sight of Paige in that outfit. But it was fine, she told herself. She and Paige were friends. Great friends. They always had been. The speech wouldn't have made Paige magically forget her feelings for Shana, or stop thinking of Emily like a child. It only would've made everything awkward between them.

Paige opened the door on the passenger side of her truck and gave Emily a hand up and into the front seat. After closing the door behind Emily, she trotted around to the driver's side and settled in, taking off her sunglasses and setting them in the cup holder between them. She let her eyes linger on Emily for a moment, roaming up and down. She wore a strange smile on her face, as if there were something on her mind. But before Emily could ask what was up, Paige tilted her head to the side, doing a mental reboot, and started the car. "Ready?" she asked, with a confident nod of her head.

"Ready!" Emily echoed, giving a thumbs up.

* * *

Paige's metallic-tux strategy worked. The broadcast crew loved her. It seemed that, every five or ten minutes, the bright light of one of the TV cameras turned on them, and, when it did, Paige obligingly played it up, posing, dancing, and cheering in an over-the-top way. Once or twice, she tried to drag Emily into the act, but Emily shrieked and sank into her seat, hiding her face behind her program.

Emily really wished that she could get up there and play it up with Paige. What better way to convince her that she wasn't a little kid anymore. Maybe she was just kidding herself. Maybe she _was_ that little kid that Paige saw her as. It was just as well, her brain chorused again. It was great to have a friend like Paige. It was enough. She wasn't going to get depressed and mopey. Paige had asked her out as a friend, so she decided to make the best of it. They were there to have a good time, and they were going to have a good time. As friends.

"Are you having fun?" Paige asked, after the cameraman moved away.

Emily was slow to respond. She was a bit distracted the hand that Paige had put on her knee as she asked the question.

Emily's hesitation made Paige's face fall. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling guilty. "I'm embarrassing you."

"No!" Emily said quickly, grabbing Paige's hand as Paige started to pull it away. "I'm having fun!"

Paige curled her lip skeptically. "Really?"

Emily nodded with a genuine smile as she gave Paige's hand a squeeze. "You're so c…" _Don't say cute! Don't say cute! Don't say cute!_ "You're so crazy!"

* * *

Paige stood up and stretched during a TV timeout in the fourth quarter. She had been working hard all game long. It was exhausting. She reached down and rubbed Emily's shoulder. "Do you want a soda or some nachos or something?"

Emily looked up with a smile, but before she could say no thanks, she heard the crowd cooing all at once. She turned and saw the cameras lighting up various sections of the stadium. "What's going on?" she wondered out loud.

Paige sat back down in her seat and pointed at the Jumbotron in the scoreboard, where a heart-shaped frame surrounded two fans who were kissing. "It's the kiss cam," she explained. "They pick out couples in the crowd and get them to kiss." Paige shrugged her shoulders amiably. "It's fun!"

"Oh." Emily twisted her fingers together, looking at her lap. She really wished that the camera would point to her and Paige, but she knew that wasn't going to happen, since they'd already filmed her so much that night. Besides, no one would ever have guessed that they were a couple. Paige was like a super-fan. Emily looked like someone who had never been to a game before in her life.

But, while she was pitying herself, she heard the now-familiar sound of footsteps running up the stairs and felt the familiar heat of the camera lights in her face. Paige, not wanting to embarrass Emily even more, tried to wave the camera operator off. The next thing she knew, though, Emily's hand was behind her neck, pulling her in close. Emily kissed her hard, her lips finally delivering the message that they had been wanting to tell for so long. It was so much better-expressed without words. As the camera lingered on the two of them, the cheers and whistling rose to another level.

This time, it was Paige who was struggling for air, breathing heavily in shock and confusion as she relaxed into her seat. Emily wiped her lipstick, turning to Paige with a weak, sorry-not-sorry smile. She was sorry that she had been so forward, but she wasn't sorry for what she had done. Despite what she had been trying to convince herself, she really did want Paige to know how she felt. And now, whatever the consequences, it was done. Paige knew. The ball was in Paige's court.

"Emily."

Paige said the name softly and reverently, as if she had just seen Emily - the _real_ Emily - for the first time. Emily bit her lip, with a slight shrug of her shoulders, bracing herself. She knew that she was about to get the kindest, gentlest let-down in the history of let-downs. That was who Paige was. Whatever happened, she would always protect Emily. "Emily," Paige repeated, a little tongue-tied, still trying to process what had happened.

It broke Emily's heart a little to see the turmoil that Paige was going through as she tried to find a way to let her down easily. She realized that she needed to let her best friend off the hook. "Paige," she said, shaking her head, letting her long, dark hair hide her eyes, "it's okay. I…"

Paige took Emily's hand and held it gently, her eyes looking off to the side. "Would you, maybe, want to go get something to eat after the game?" she mumbled, with an insecurity in her voice that Emily had never in her life heard from Paige before. Clearing her throat but still looking away, she added, "With me?"

Emily sat up straight, suddenly excited. "Yes!" she said, before it even occurred to her that she should play it cool.

"Really?" Paige finally looked Emily in the eyes, looking as if Emily had told her that she had just won a million-dollar lottery prize, not that she would go to dinner with her.

Emily bit her lip, her eyes wide open and her eyebrows raised, and nodded.

"Okay," Paige said softly, returning Emily's hand to her lap before she decided to keep holding onto it.

And Emily ( _finally_!) laid her head on Paige's shoulder, where it belonged, where she had been longing to lay it all evening long.

 _Mission accomplished. Message delivered._


	3. Episode 3: Great Seats!

**A/N - _lifelongloveforlindsey_ asked a question that I thought others might have wondered about, too, so I'm answering it here:**

 ** _Whose thought process do you think you can describe better, Paily as a whole, Paige's, or Emily's?_**

 **The interesting thing is that I tend to identify with Paige as a character (not that we're anything alike... I identify with her character in the same way that I identify with Wonder Woman!), and I'm still a little... annoyed with the Emily, the way that the writers wrote her in seasons 4 - 6. However, I've noticed that these first two chapters (as well as my last fic, "Crowded Bus") are written largely from Emily's POV. I'm not really sure why that is... Maybe because I identify with Paige, I'm used to speculating about what Emily's motivations are, and why she thinks what she thinks?**

 **I would love to be able to give more of a balance to the two characters, but... who knows?**

 **Anyway...** **Back to our regularly scheduled chapter... thanks for reading! :)**

* * *

"P… Paige?"

Emily touched the woman's shoulder, and the woman turned around, looking shocked and confused.

"Oh, sorry," Emily said sheepishly. "I thought you were someone else." Emily gave a shy smile, her body dipping in embarrassment as she turned to walk away.

The woman collected herself quickly. "Emily?" she said a bit loud, to catch Emily's attention before she got too far away. Paige was a little star-struck at the sight of her, up close and personal. Emily looked gorgeous in the picture Jackie had sent her, but the picture didn't do her justice.

When Emily turned around, now a bit confused herself, Paige apologized. "I'm sorry. I was…" She shook her head dismissively. "… lost in my thoughts for a minute, I don't know..."

"So, you _are_ Paige?" Paige nodded. _Thank God_ , Emily thought. Jackie hadn't given Emily a picture. She only gave her a vague description - auburn hair, athletic, cute smile - and told her that she and Paige would hit it off. Emily had seen Paige among the crowd of people outside the stadium, looking at her phone and surveying the crowd, as if trying to match a picture with a person. Emily was smitten right away. She was really hoping that her face was the one that Paige was looking for.

The two of them stared at each other for a second, slightly dazed by the beauty they were seeing; both letting out a forced laugh at the uncomfortable silence.

"So…"

"So…"

Emily decided to pick up the gauntlet. "So," she repeated gamely. " – a basketball game. That's an interesting choice for a first date!"

Paige shrugged her shoulders shyly. "'Must love sports,' right?"

"Right!" Emily pumped her fist, only slightly sarcastically. Her eyes were still wandering up and down Paige's body, taking in the whole look. She did love sports, but, in that moment, she would've subjected herself to just about anything for a chance to get to know this woman a little better. She bumped Paige with her shoulder. "You're not one of those crazy, climb-up-a-lamppost-and-punch-a-cop fans that Philly's famous for, are you, Paige?"

Paige laughed, a little breathless at the physical contact and the way that Emily had said her name. "No," she said softly, dipping her head shyly. "I mean, just a little looting and light pillaging whenever the Sixers win, but nothing out of the ordinary."

Emily shrieked out a laugh, covering her mouth with both hands. _Cute_ , she thought. Before another awkward silence could hit, the doors opened and the crowd started moving inside.

Paige put Emily in front of her and put her hands on Emily's shoulders, so they wouldn't get separated in the onrush. Emily looked over her shoulder at Paige and smiled. Paige's hands felt good on her shoulders; firm and protective.

"Do you want to get some food?" Paige asked as they passed the concession stands, leaning close in to Emily's ear, so that she could be heard above the crowd. It tickled a little.

Emily shook her head. "Let's find our seats, first."

"Good call!"

Paige offered her hand to Emily, to steady her as they worked their way down the steps inside the Wells Fargo Center. Emily smiled back at her gratefully. "Wow," she said, when they made it to their row. "These are great seats!"

"I guess Jackie wanted everything to be perfect," Paige said, smiling demurely.

"I'll have to thank her," Emily mused. _And not just for the seats._

Paige let go of Emily's hand, and Emily smoothed her skirt beneath her as she took her seat. Paige tried her best not to get caught staring at her smooth, tanned legs. "You… uh… you look great, by the way."

Emily touched Paige's shoulder, her face brightened by the compliment. "Thank you," she said softly.

Paige's heart got all squishy at the contact. "I should've said so before," she said, looking away.

Emily laughed, a delicate, wistful laugh, slightly biting her lip at the end. Paige was definitely winning her over with that cute, kind of shy vibe she had going on. "So," Emily began, opening up the program and looking over the team photos. "Which team are you rooting for?"

Paige looked at Emily, shocked by the question until she saw the devious smile on Emily's face. She pushed Emily's shoulder, and Emily laughed out loud. "I haven't made up my mind yet," Paige droned. But she had made up her mind, she realized, and it wasn't the Sixers. She was rooting for the two of them.

"Can I get you something, before the game starts?"

"Hmm..." Emily raised her fingertip to her lips. "Are you getting anything?"

"I was thinking some popcorn, and a soda." Usually, Paige would have gotten some nachos, but she didn't need to have her stomach percolating like that around Emily. Not on the first date. Maybe on the third or the fourth - not to get ahead of herself or anything.

"That sounds good," Emily smiled, "but could you get me a water?"

Paige nodded and stood up, pointing towards the concessions as she headed off that way. Emily watched until Paige was on the other side of the door, and then quickly whipped out her phone.

 **Em: O.M.G.**

 **Hanna: good omg or bad omg**

 **Em: good. She's totally gorgeous.  
Em: and really cute! :)**

Hanna texted back crossed fingers and a kiss.

As Paige stood in line, she mulled over her options. She wanted to make some kind of move, to let Emily know that she was interested, but she didn't want to do anything inappropriate, or anything that would scare Emily off. _Just breathe,_ she told herself. _Let it happen._

Emily smoothed out her skirt and rested her hands on her knees, smiling up at Paige when she returned. She reached up to take the bucket of popcorn out of Paige's hand, so that Paige could sit, and almost knocked it all over herself. _That would have kickstarted things,_ Paige thought, chuckling to herself. "Hey!" Emily barked, pretending to be offended, "Don't laugh at my clumsiness!"

"Oh, sorry… I…"

Emily realized that Paige was too tense to pick up on her attempt at humor. Instead of trying to explain it, she took a handful of popcorn and started throwing pieces at Paige's face. Paige opened her mouth and tried in vain to catch the kernels as they hit her cheeks and forehead, and Emily laughed at her valiant but futile attempts.

 _Well, this is going well_ , they both thought.

There was definitely a connection between the two of them, but there was still an overriding cloud of nervous tension. It was, possibly, because the connection was too strong. It was like being carried along by a huge, rushing tide of water; exhilarating, overwhelming, and all-encompassing. It would probably be fun, if it weren't so terrifying.

Paige felt as if she'd known Emily all her life, and she really wanted to be able to hold her hand or put her arm around her or… do something. Anything. Emily wanted the same thing, but, like Paige, she was afraid, not knowing whether or not it was what Paige wanted. So, they kept a polite distance from each other (and from what they both wanted), smiling nervously and jerking their hands or knees away at the slightest instance of inadvertent body contact.

 _You're blowing it,_ the little voice in Paige's head chided. _Just be yourself. Don't try to force things._ She glanced at Emily just as Emily was glancing at her, and Emily, spooked, quickly turned her attention back to the game. Paige did the same.

 _Idiot,_ the voice in Paige's head screamed. _You're scaring her off! Just say something! Like a person!_

"These…" Paige cleared her throat. "These really are great seats, aren't they?" _As if we haven't already had that conversation._

Emily nodded politely. "Thanks, Jackie," she said with a smile.

Was it possible for two people to be too attracted to each other? So much so that they're both too afraid of ruining things to make the first move?

* * *

Emily and Paige reached into the bucket of popcorn at the same time, and both jerked their hands away when their fingers touched. The swiftness of the movement sent popcorn kernels flying into Emily's lap.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Emily!"

Emily stood and brushed the popcorn off of her skirt. "It's fine," she tried to assure Paige, but Paige, looking at the butter-stained fabric, was hard to convince. "It'll wash out." Emily tried to laugh reassuringly, but it came out more diabolical. Paige cringed.

As they took their seats again, Paige withdrew into her shell. Emily smiled over at her a couple of times, hoping to see that she was all right, but Paige just looked all the more intently at the players on the court, pretending that she couldn't feel Emily's eyes on her.

Emily hadn't given up hope. She just figured that basketball wasn't the best choice for a first date with Paige. It would be better, she told herself, if they had dinner or just went for a walk next time; something with less pressure fewer pitfalls. She would just have to convince Paige that she wanted to be asked out again.

Just as Emily was about to give up on making any progress and call it a night, the Sixers took a time out, and the scoreboard operator cued up the graphics for the kiss cam. Emily forgot herself for a moment. "Oh, I love this!" she enthused, not realizing that she had grabbed Paige's arm with both of her hands.

She really did love the kiss cam. She pointed at the couples and oohed and ahhed as their faces came up on the screen, they took a second to realize what was happening, and, finally, they kissed. Paige loved how much Emily loved it. Emily was a romantic, Paige realized; someone whom she'd love to surprise with roses or chocolates or a puppy.

Or a kiss.

At that moment, Paige realized just how much she really wanted to kiss Emily. She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the rafters, silently praying to whoever might hear her that the camera would turn on them. Or that, even if it didn't, she would be able to summon up the courage to kiss Emily before the night was over.

Paige had never been lucky in her life. She picked one hell of a first time.

When Emily saw the two of them on the Jumbotron, their faces framed by a heart, she look at Paige with an expression of relief, as if she was waiting for something like that to shoo away the tension between them. That look made it easier for Paige to do what she had been clenching her fists, psyching herself up to do. She kissed Emily, and kissed her as if she meant it. It was a small moment in the lives of the other fifteen thousand people in the arena;- only a couple of seconds, and then the camera moved on. But it was a major milestone in Paige and Emily's lives.

Emily fanned herself after the kiss, her smile undying. "Wow," she said in a whisper. Her mind was in a fog, and she didn't know quite what to say or do. "These really are great seats, aren't they?"

Paige gave her another kiss; just a quick peck on the lips, but it was electric. "We definitely have to thank Jackie!"


	4. Episode 4: New Day

Paige gave Emily a passionate, soulful kiss and and a loving rub up and down the shoulders, looking into her eyes with a soft smile. Then, taking a deep breath, she opened the door leading out of her apartment.

And, just like that, the spell was over. Back to reality.

Emily was familiar with the drill.

Paige poked her head out of the door, checking left and right down the corridor to make sure that no one was around to see them. When she was satisfied that the coast was clear, she waved Emily through. Emily shook her head with a bemused smile. Paige's paranoia was on another level. Emily had to wonder whether being out would be any more stressful for Paige than all this – all the sneaking around, the thinly coded text messages, the secret meetings;- everything Paige felt that they had to do to keep the secret that she was dating a woman.

It was frustrating for Emily, but it was what Paige needed. So she went along with it. In a sense, it made her grateful for the fact that she had been outed in high school – falling out of the closet on her face, as she liked to describe it. Once everything was out in the the open, she had no choice but to deal with it. And her family and her friends had no choice, either. It had been painful, for sure, but it wasn't the end of the world. And, whatever else it was, it was behind her.

She had tried to convince Paige of that in the early days of their relationship - that the world wouldn't end, and that it was better to get it over with; deal with the pain and move on. After a while, though, she realized that her attempts weren't worth the trouble. Paige wasn't ready to change, and talking about it wasn't going to help. Whenever Emily brought it up, it only made defensive. And angry. That didn't help either of them. Emily had to decide whether or not she was willing to live like that; whether or not Paige was worth it. It was a difficult decision, and one which she wrestled with for a long time, but, in the end, she decided to wait it out with Paige. She knew that Paige couldn't stay in the closet forever. Sooner or later, the truth has a way of sneaking out.

A couple of times, Emily came close to telling Paige that they weren't really fooling people. Some people, perhaps, but not everyone. As careful as couples try to be with their clandestine relationships, people can always pick up on things; a look here, a gentle touch there, a few articles of clothing on one person's body from the other person's wardrobe. And, in reality, Paige knew this; knew that she wasn't fooling anybody but herself. Still, she clung to the fantasy that she was passing for a straight girl, so terrified was she of the alternative. _Plausible deniability_ , Emily had heard it called. "Self-deception" was another term. Basically, both terms added up to the same thing: A big load of bullshit.

Paige wasn't lying when she said that she wished that she were like Emily: Out and proud. She knew that, eventually, she was going to have to come out of the closet, because she was in love with Emily, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, in ways that couldn't be done in secret. She wanted to give Emily the storybook wedding that she deserved; wanted to be side-by-side with her to celebrate their triumphs together and to grieve their losses together; wanted to raise their babies, in a world where love is love, and closets were for clothes.

But, more than anything else, she didn't want to lose Emily.

She couldn't imagine life without Emily. But neither could she imagine life outside the closet.

She didn't know how long Emily would be able to put up with the charade. And she knew that Emily deserved more. She just didn't know how to get from point A to point B. It definitely wasn't a straight line.

There was nothing straight about it.

* * *

"Well, this is going to be fun," Emily said cheerfully as she opened the passenger door to Paige's car. Emily didn't think twice about having to open doors for herself. It wasn't that Paige was thoughtless or inattentive, but you just never knew who might be watching.

Once they were inside the car, Paige's eyes widened in panic. Emily shook her head, smiling. She knew her girlfriend all too well. "You're worried that you forgot the tickets, aren't you?"

Paige nodded, guiltily.

"And they're right in your pocket, aren't they?"

Paige tapped the inside pocket of her jacket and verified that the tickets were still there. Emily squeezed her hand, and Paige, in the semi-privacy of her car, didn't jerk it away.

"You're a nut, Paige. You know that, right?"

Paige shrugged her shoulders with a small smile.

* * *

"Are you cold?" Paige looked concerned. Baseball is a summer sport, but with the season stretching into October, and the stadium so close to the river, night games tended to get rather chilly.

"No, I'm okay." Emily blew on her hands and rubbed them together, then smiled. "These are good seats, huh?"

"Nothing but the best for my…" Paige tightened her lips. " - bestie." She smiled guiltily.

Emily rolled with it. She had gotten used to it. And she knew what Paige was thinking. It would have been nice to hear it out in public once in a while, instead of only when they were behind closed doors.

"That's the great thing about minor-league ball," Paige said, switching the focus from the word she hadn't said. "You can get seats right up close to the action. It's so much more affordable than the big leagues!"

* * *

In the bottom of the third, one of the Riversharks tried to steal second. The catcher's throw went into centerfield, and the runner kept going to third. The centerfielder couldn't get a good grip on the ball, so the third base coach waved the runner home, where he slid under the tag for a run. It was exciting stuff. The crowd was on its feet. Caught up in the moment, Paige hugged Emily – and then quickly pushed away, shaking herself off the way guys do, when they're afraid that people might think that they're hugging because they're into each other.

Emily sighed. "Girls _do_ hug girls, you know," she said, annoyed. She knew that she should've let it go, but it was hard for her to keep quiet.

Paige nodded, dipping her head. She felt horrible; absolutely horrible, but she wasn't ready to change.

"And nobody here even knows us," Emily said, letting her frustration take over.

"I know," Paige whispered, looking up at Emily with puppy-dog eyes.

Emily sighed again, deciding that it wasn't worth ruining their evening over.

* * *

After the Seventh Inning Stretch, "Kiss Me" started to play over the loudspeakers. Emily gave Paige a devious look at first, and then knocked shoulders with her, telling her to relax. The stadium was pretty full. There were plenty of couples to put on the kiss cam. And, even if the camera pointed to them, Emily wasn't going to do anything to embarrass her or out her.

And, just like that, the camera the camera _did_ point to them. Emily stretched out her arms, grinning coyly, and turned towards Paige but pulled away at the last second, wagging her finger at the camera and mouthing, "No, no, no" like Dikembe Motumbo.

There was a smattering of disappointed, "Awws" from the crowd. The director cut away to two other cameras, where two other couples obligingly shared a kiss, but then came back to try again with Paige and Emily. Emily shrugged her shoulders, raising her palms in disbelief, miming the word, "Really?" She gestured to Paige and back to herself as if to say, "Look at us! We're obviously both _girls!_ "

Once again, the crowd expressed its disappointment at being denied a kiss, with a couple of boos thrown in for good measure. Once again, the Jumbotron featured two other couples who played along with the Kiss Cam, and, once again, the camera returned to Paige and Emily.

By this time, Paige had had enough - not just of the persistent camera operator's attention, but of _everything_. "Fuck it!" she said, moving on Emily with a full-on, no holds barred kiss. Emily's arms went wide at her side, in shock. It took a second or two before she got hold of herself and started kissing back.

And then, something amazing happened: Nothing happened.

The world didn't end. The earth didn't open up and swallow them. Everyone in the stadium saw Paige kiss Emily, and nobody seemed to care. In fact, people were cheering - not because they were getting to see two hot women kiss, but because, after two refusals, the two of them had finally gotten over themselves and decided to play along in the Kiss-Cam fun.

It was eye-opening for Paige. She realized, of course, that they weren't going to get cheers or even positive reactions everywhere they went. But she also realized that these people had their own lives, just as she and Emily had their own lives. Their lives may intersect in different ways, at different times, but, ultimately, the way that she and Emily chose to live was no one else's business. Just like the people in the stadium, the rest of the world may care about what she and Emily do for about 10 seconds, but, after that, they move on. They go back to the ballgame; back to their lives, and she and Emily would go back to theirs.

But, most of all, Paige realized that she really liked kissing Emily out in the open. She liked being able to hold hands or hug without worrying about what anyone else thought. She liked having everyone know that Emily, this beautiful, amazing woman, was her girlfriend.

Paige stretched her arm around Emily's shoulder, and Emily settled in. Emily still wasn't sure what this new liberty meant, and whether or not they would go back to the old rules, once they got back to Rosewood and the people they knew. She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the two of them. That wasn't unusual; - she had a lot of pictures of the two of them on her phone, locked away in a hidden folder where no one might stumble across them by mistake.

"Aw, that's cute!" Paige said, looking at the phone as Emily held it up to her. "Are you going to post it?"

Emily hid her surprise behind a smile and nodded. Inside, she was cheering. This was a new day. The tide had changed. There would be no more hiding.

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry for the Dikembe Motumbo reference... :) If you're not familiar, search YouTube for Dikembe Motumbo Geico Commercial (** **KAm-kDXX0f4** **)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Episode 5: Safeguards and Boundaries

"Go to a hockey game with you?" Emily's eyes were dancing in delight. She loved teasing Paige. "Like, on a _date_?"

"It's just a hockey game," Paige said defensively. "I don't know why you're making a big deal out of it. You like hockey, right?"

"Are you going to buy me dinner, too?" Emily could tell how nervous Paige was. She didn't mind needling her a bit more.

Paige sighed, exasperated. "Look, I told you." Paige's head bobbed from side to side, impatiently, as she spelled out the rationale. "Heather was supposed to go, but she had to go home for the weekend at the last minute…"

"Your roommate's out of town, eh?" Emily winked coquettishly. "Usually, when you use that line, it's for something a little more fun than a hockey game." Emily threw Paige a smile, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ugh, I swear, Emily! Why are you being so weird about this?"

Emily laughed, shaking her head as she did. "I'm just messing with you, Paige!" Paige rolled her eyes. "But, come on, you have to admit. This is kind of different for you and me."

"I don't know why." Paige's arms were flailing in frustration. "You like the Flyers, I like the Flyers. It's not as if we've never gone anywhere together before."

"Yeah, it's pretty much exactly like that, Paige."

Paige's head was about to explode. She should've known that inviting Emily was a bad idea. "Okay, well, do you want to go or not?"

"Yeah," Emily said, giving Paige's forearm a squeeze, suddenly abandoning her teasing, since Paige was taking it too hard. She really did want to go with Paige, whether or not Paige was willing to admit that it was a date. "It sounds like fun," she concluded.

"Okay," Paige said softly, breathing out a sigh; frankly relieved. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do with her hands, and unable to find a comfortable position to stand in.

"So…" Emily drew out the word, to fill the silence. "Are you going to pick me up... do you want me to meet you there… ?"

"Oh, yeah." Paige shook her head quickly. "Yeah. I'll pick you up. Of course." Paige nodded a couple of times, sealing the point. "I'll stop by at about 6:30. That should give us plenty of time to get into the city, even with traffic."

"See ya then, Pal!" Emily slapped Paige's arm with her fist, emphasizing the "pal" aspect. She was just rubbing it in, unable to resist teasing Paige one more time, for how awkward she was being.

Paige retreated from the doorway, and Emily closed it behind her, shaking her head and smiling to herself.

Paige was also shaking her head. But it wasn't just her head; her hands were shaking, too. In fact, her whole body was trembling a little. She didn't know why she felt so nervous. And she didn't know why Emily was being so weird.

They both knew what it was between them.

They had been friends forever, but, as close as they were, in all the years they'd known each other, they'd never dated. They never thought of each other that way. But they were always there for each other. More than once, Paige had cried on Emily's shoulder, and, more than once, it had Paige's shoulder and Emily crying.

And one night, when they were both lonely, both unattached, and both a little desperate, the need for a deeper kind of companionship got to be too much for them.

That first night was clumsy and unplanned. But the next morning was surprisingly not awkward. They had a frank discussion about what had happened- what it was and what it wasn't. It was a release; a mutually beneficial act between two friends. It wasn't a regret, nor was it anything romantic. And it wasn't out of the question that it would happen again.

They never let things get too serious, and they never abused the privilege. Somehow, without a formal discussion of rules and limits, they manage to erect a system safeguards and boundaries.

Paige had never had any qualms about hitting Emily up when she needed sex. So she couldn't understand why she was she sweating like a high schooler over inviting her to a hockey game.

"A fucking hockey game," she muttered to herself. "It's just a hockey game."

* * *

The night of the game, Paige kept telling herself to get it together. She couldn't stop hearing Emily's voice in her head, teasing her that it was like a date. As if they ever thought of each other that way. As if Emily would even want that. They could go out as _friends_ , and they could hang out as _friends_ with benefits. But stepping out as girl _friends_ wasn't something that either of them was looking for.

And, yet, Paige found herself wondering what it would be like if Emily actually did feelings for her. Would they even work as a couple? Was that even something that Paige wanted?

 _Stupid_ , Paige told herself. It was such a cliché: Friends with benefits, until one person starts developing feelings. Then, things get horribly uncomfortable and weird for a while, until the other one starts to come around to that point of view. It made for a cheesy movie - the kind that all the romantic fools love to watch, rewinding and watching the climactic moment over and over, Kleenex in hand. Paige had actually seen that movie, cringing as the predictable unfolded. But it wasn't something that happened in real life. In real life, the person who fell for the other just ended up making a fool out of herself. Especially if that person were Paige McCullers, and the other person was Emily Fields.

Paige did her best to get past those thoughts, but they kept nagging at her subconscious. It made things weird, in a way that they never had been between her and Emily.

Paige knew that she was being ridiculous, but she didn't know how to silence her mind and just be normal.

Emily picked up on the weirdness. There was no way she could have missed that vibe that Paige was throwing off. Paige was cool to her; aloof, giving one-word answers or grunts, whenever Emily tried to make conversation.

If it _had_ been a date, it would've gone down in history as the world's worst.

Eventually, Emily gave up trying to engage Paige in any kind of meaningful conversation. She decided just to enjoy the game, and maybe check out any hot women who happened to be in the stadium. She felt bad for even thinking that way, but there wasn't much else that she could do, given the way Paige was behaving.

Deep down, Emily knew what was going on; why Paige was being so distant, and why she recoiled at the slightest incidental contact between them. She'd seen that kind of behavior before, from girls who were attracted to her, but afraid to admit to themselves that they liked girls. Paige obviously had no problem with the fact that she liked girls. The fact that she liked _Emily_ was the problem.

* * *

By the time the third period rolled around, Emily decided to have some fun with it. She became subtly, but deliberately flirty – standing up and taking a stretch on her tiptoes, arching her back with a tired moan; dropping her program and reaching over Paige to retrieve it, making sure, as she sat back up, that Paige got a good whiff of the mango shampoo (which always reminded Paige of showering at Emily's place). The final straw was pulling a bright red lipstick from her hag and applying it to her lips, puckering into the phone to ensure that it was okay. Paige dragged her hands up and down her thighs, trying to calm herself down. Emily touched her bicep. "Nervous?" Paige managed a nod and a slight smile. "Don't worry," Emily assured her, patting her arm consolingly. "The Flyers will pull it out."

Midway through the third period, during a TV time out, Paige heard familiar music and cringed. She had forgotten all about the Kiss Cam. The stadium was pretty full, but Paige knew her luck: The one time that she was at the game with someone she _couldn't_ kiss, the kiss cam would capture her and Emily in its sites.

Emily looked over, to see why Paige was acting even more skittish than she had been the rest of the night. Paige said nothing, but Emily followed her eyes to the Jumbotron.

"I'm…" Paige stood up, clearing her throat. "I'm just going to step out to the ladies' room," she announced, tilting her head towards the exit.

 _Like hell you are!_

Emily stood and grabbed Paige by the shoulders, giving her a slow, passionate kiss.

The Kiss Cam hadn't been on them at the start of the kiss, but it didn't take long for the operators to catch up with what was going on. After a couple of seconds of monitoring Paige and Emily's kiss, the director cut away to another couple, but she came back to Paige and Emily, who were still going at it. Once again, the Kiss Cam switched to some other couples, and, once again, it came back to Paige and Emily, with the organist playing dramatic stings, going up an octave each time, egging on the crowd as they reacted to the unplanned, unexpected sideshow.

Not that Paige and Emily noticed any of this. They forgot about the Kiss Cam and the crowd, and even about the fact that they were in public. To them, it was just the two of them, finally doing what they had wanted to be doing all along; kissing, not as a prelude to night of passion, but as an expression of their true feelings.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," Emily confessed softly, when the kiss came to an end and their fellow spectators turned their attention back to the game.

"Not as long as I've wanted you to do it," Paige asserted.

"No." Emily shook her head. Her hands were still on Paige's cheeks, and her thumbs were gently caressing them. "Longer. Much longer. I was _never_ satisfied with just being your hook-up partner."

Paige bit her lip and nodded. All in all, she realized, she had never been satisfied with that, either.

Emily glanced at Paige's eyes before looking away, nervously, her fingers now playing with the zipper of Paige's jacket. "So, does this make us?… Does this mean?..."

Paige nodded and put her finger under Emily's chin, nudging her to look into her eyes.

Emily's relief at Paige's confirmation came out as a light laugh, and she ran her tongue over her front teeth. "So, what do we do now?"

Paige put her forehead against Emily's. "Go."

"Go?"

"Yeah," Paige whispered. "Let's go. I want to go _everywhere_ with you."


	6. Episode 6: This Time

**A/N - Apologies in advance... This was a hard one to write... :'(**

* * *

"Ready?" Paige asked in the sullen, bored tone that had become the norm in their relationship. Emily just nodded.

This was just one of those annoying chores that lingered on the ashes of a relationship whose fire had gone out, like the light from some long-dead star that remains visible to spectators light-years away, even though the star has long-since gone cold, dark. Dead.

That was a good metaphor for their relationship, Emily decided. To the distant observer, it looked warm and brilliant, but at Ground Zero, she and Paige knew the truth.

And, not unlike the death of a star, it had happened gradually. It hadn't been the result of a fight or a fling or a fuck-up. Their love simply ran out of fuel that had given it life.

Everything that has a beginning has an end. It was simply a law of nature.

But, at least, they were still able to civil, if not quite friendly, to each other. And that ability is what saved them on nights like this. They had no idea, when they ordered season tickets, that the Flyers' season would outlive their season with each other. Emily chuckled bitterly to herself. If the situation weren't so tragic, that observation would almost have sounded clever.

The night wasn't going to be a total loss. They always had fun at the games. Their seats were right above the penalty box, and there was a raucous, circus-like atmosphere at the games. Especially when the Flyers were winning. And, on that night, they were winning by a comfortable margin. Emily smiled and shook her head at the way that Paige was getting into the game. That was what she loved about Paige, the way that she was always so all-in about everything – sports, reality TV, _life_. There was a time, Emily mused bitterly, when Paige had been as enthusiastic about _her_. About _them._ But it was best not to dwell on the past. She had to think about the future.

The night before the game, they had gotten into a big fight. Paige ended up sleeping on the couch. There was no denying it anymore: They both knew that it was over. Emily was planning to make it official after the game. They owed themselves that much – one more night of fun before their worlds were ripped apart.

* * *

Paige honestly didn't know how the game was going to go. She had given up trying to predict how Emily would feel, or what she would do. She used to know how to make Emily happy; how to turn a bad day around for her. Lately, though, it seemed that Paige was the cause, not the cure, of Emily's bad days. In Emily's eyes, everything Paige did seemed to be wrong. It's a hard way to live. After a while, you just lose the desire to fight for what once was.

Paige wasn't even sure that Emily would still want to go to the game with her. She thought about letting Emily off the hook; going with Spencer, suggesting that Emily go with Hanna, or just giving away both seats. But she was afraid that even asking would set Emily off, so she never brought it up. That morning, when Emily mumbled a question about when they needed to leave, Paige concluded that they were going to go together.

There was no mention of the previous night's fight. Paige assumed that Emily felt the way that she herself did. They both wanted to get through the game.

It was good, Paige thought, that Emily was still willing to go to the game. Whatever became of their relationship, Paige hoped that they would end up being friends. Someday. Perhaps not soon. But as the game went on, Paige was happy to note that they _were_ friends, pretty much. They were able to sit through the game and enjoy themselves - enjoy _each other -_ without the pressure of having to try to figure out how to make things work as a couple. Paige kind of missed those days, when they were just friends, without any pressure. Once she and Emily started to develop feelings for each other, there was pressure to make the first move. When they first started dating, there was pressure to be on their best behavior; not to scare the other one away. And, after they hit their stride, there was pressure to keep the fire burning. It was no wonder that moving on from each other seemed like opening a relief valve.

* * *

Paige glanced at Emily, sitting next to her, comfortable and relaxed. Well, not totally relaxed. Emily was sitting on her hands, trying to hide the fact that she was crossing he fingers. She always crossed her fingers when the other team had a power play, but after the first time Paige caught her doing it (on their first hockey date) and teased her about it, she began trying to do it surreptitiously. Crossing her fingers on power plays was a silly ritual, Emily knew, but she couldn't help it. Anything, she thought, to help out her beloved Flyers.

Emily looked up at Paige, smiling shyly at the fact that Paige had caught her crossing her fingers. "Shut up," she said softly, bumping her shoulder into Paige's. Paige raised her hands in surrender. Later, when the teams were back to six a side, and the Rangers hadn't scored on the power play, Emily raised an eyebrow to Paige, as if to say, "See? It worked!"

Paige couldn't keep herself from laughing. She almost pulled Emily in for a hug, but that wouldn't have been appropriate. They enjoyed each other's company. That had always been true. But that didn't open the door for hugging like a couple. Realistically, they weren't a couple anymore.

* * *

During the break between the second and third periods, "Kiss Me Again" came over the loudspeakers. Emily's stomach fluttered. She hadn't thought about the Kiss Cam. _What would happen if they turned it on her and Paige?_ She used to squeeze Paige's arm when she heard them played that song, hoping that the camera would turn on them, but it never did. Of course, it didn't. The arena was always packed for Flyers games; the laws of probability were against it. And it certainly didn't help the odds that they were both women. It may have been 2018, but times are slow to change. The team's management obviously wasn't interested in starting that kind of controversy.

Emily always used to utter a disappointed "Aw," and give Paige a consolation kiss anyway, once that segment over. She chuckled to herself. _Not this time._ Obviously.

This time, Emily looked over at Paige with a nervous smile once the first couple's images went up on the Jumbotron. Paige was smiling back, nervously. It was as if she and Emily were thinking the same thing.

 _Not now.  
Not this time._  
 _Not the one time when it's not appropriate, after you passed us by all those other nights.  
_ _Not the one time it can't happen, after all those time we wanted it._

Paige was on the verge of a panic attack, not knowing what she would do if the camera actually focused on them. Even more, she was afraid of what Emily would do. They were just beginning to be able to have fun together again; they didn't need the pressure of a forced kiss to douse even the fires of their friendship.

And whether the cosmic force of their thoughts was mocking them or was just tone-deaf - or, perhaps, Paige really was cursed (as she secretly thought) - whatever it was, surely enough, that was the night when they saw their own images up on the big screen.

Emily suddenly felt very warm. All the sounds of the crowd and the music around her disappeared. She could feel the blood pumping in her ears, and her stomach was tying itself in knots. There was a moment suspended in the air between them; a moment of uncertainty; a moment of wondering. And, once again, they were both thinking the same thing.

 _Is she going to do it?  
Is she actually going to kiss me? Would she really be that brave?  
What will I do if she does? Will I kiss her back?  
_ _What will I do if she doesn't? Would I kiss her first?_

Emily saw the fear in Paige's eyes just before they closed. When Paige leaned in, Emily's eyes fluttered closed as well. And when their lips met, a flood of memories came roaring back. It felt immediately familiar. It felt like – _exactly like_ – their first kiss. The same questions that went through their minds just before; that same nervousness and self-doubt; that same anticipation; that same exhilaration. All of a sudden, Emily remembered what it had been like before they started to take each other for granted; before all the little things that she used to find charming about Paige became things that annoyed her. She remembered the time when she used to spend all day thinking about when she would get to see the woman she loved again; dreaming of the moment when they would be able to press loving lips together again.

* * *

As they separated from the kiss, Paige brushed away a tear from Emily's cheek that Emily hadn't known was there. Emily clutched Paige's hand before Paige could pull it away. "Paige, I'm… I'm…"

"I know, Em," Paige said in a deep, raspy voice. "I'm sorry, too." Her voice felt warm comforting, like an overstuffed chair in front of the fireplace.

"I love you so much," Emily blurted out, her voice becoming squeaky as she raced to get the words out before the sobbing overtook her. Paige pulled her close, and she buried her head in Paige's chest, convulsing into tears in the safety of Paige's strong, protective arms.

"I love you, too," Paige said, pressing a kiss onto the top of Emily's head and holding her tight.

"It's… It's going to be different, Paige." Emily, sniffling, looked up at Paige and nodded once. "I promise."

"Yeah," Paige whispered soothingly. She gave Emily another soft kiss. "We're going to work it out."

Something in the steady beating of Paige's heart against Emily's cheek let her know that it was true.


	7. Episode 7: Well-seasoned

"It's a good crowd today," Paige said, surveying the fans all over the arena. As she sat down, she repeated herself. "Yep. Good crowd today."

Emily took Paige's arm and pulled it across the seat into her lap, taking her hand and interlaced their fingers. Paige tried to make herself smile. "I'm _fine_ , Paige," Emily assured her.

She knew Paige well enough, after twenty years of marriage (and another seven years together, before that), to know why Paige was behaving the way she was. Paige knew that arena football wasn't really Emily's thing, and she felt bad about dragging her out to the game. But acknowledging the problem - or addressing the subject head-on - wasn't Paige's way. She didn't like uncomfortable conversations, so she just pretended that there was nothing wrong, and hoped that the situation would resolve on its own.

She had gotten season tickets to the Philadelphia Soul not long after she and Emily got married, right out of college. They were both jocks, and they both loved sports, but Emily never really took a liking to arena football. There was just something about the game that seemed fake or contrived, like the difference between wiffle ball and baseball. Playing in an arena, with no sidelines, and with touchdowns on almost every drive; it didn't feel like real football. Emily went along with it, though, to be with Paige. It wasn't a one-way street. Paige went along to art museums and authors' lectures, even though they really weren't her thing. Paige and Emily just liked doing things together. It didn't really matter much what it was that they were doing.

After that first season, Paige was eager to renew for the next season. They had incredible seats, and she knew that, if she let them go, she'd never be able to get seats like that again. But she hesitated. She didn't want to put Emily through another season of a game that she could barely tolerate.

"Oh, go on," Emily told her, seeing how excited Paige was. "We can't afford to lose those seats!"

And so, Paige ended up retaining the seats all through their marriage, with Emily by her side. At least at the beginning. When the kids came along, Paige started taking them instead. At first, they were small enough to share a seat, or to take turns in Paige's lap. As they got older, Paige had to do a bit of horse trading; getting people around her to swap seats in order get three seats together. But that's what Paige was good at; in fact, she probably enjoyed interacting with the other fans just about as much as she enjoyed the games.

Eventually, the time came when the kids grew up and headed off to college, and, once again, it fell on Emily to accompany her wife to the games.

There were a few familiar faces in the crowd (grayer, certainly, and a little more filled out than Emily remembered), but most of the people were new to Emily. They were old friends to Paige. Many of them had questions about how the kids were getting along in college; some were surprised to find out that Paige wasn't a single mom.

* * *

Maybe Emily had mellowed over the years, or maybe the game itself had changed, but she found herself enjoying the experience much more than she had when she was younger. Maybe it was just the opportunity to spend some time alone with Paige again. She had to admit to an occasional tinge of jealousy over the years, when= the kids came home all amped to talk about all their adventures in the stadium.

Emily looked at Paige with a bemused smile. She wouldn't trade their twenty-seven years for anything in the world. Paige met her gaze, taking her eyes off the action on the field because she thought that Emily was ready to go. Emily linked arms with her and kissed her on the shoulder, looking around guiltily for any adverse reaction from Paige's stadium friends as soon as she had done it. "Sorry; am I cramping your style?"

Paige scoffed. " _You're_ my style!"

Emily laughed a high-pitched laugh. "What does that even mean?"

Paige shrugged. "I don't know. It sounded better in my head." She kissed Emily on the top of her head.

About midway through the third quarter, Paige got up and stretched. "Well, I guess this one's no longer in doubt. What do you say we head home, beat the traffic?"

All of a sudden, memories from two decades ago came flooding back. It was always about that time in the game that Paige got up and suggested that they head home, to beat the traffic. And, no matter how close the game was, she always justified it by saying that the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Emily did the same thing for Paige, though. When she could sense Paige zoning out of a lecture or a tour, she'd tap her on the shoulder and tilt her head towards the exit. But Paige would always shake her head "no" and try to come up with something to say about the exhibit or the lecture, to show that she was was still interested and didn't want to leave.

So, this time, when Paige got up, Emily tugged at her hand, pulling her back down into her seat. "Why don't we see how it ends?"

"Are you sure? It's going to be a nightmare getting out of that parking lot…"

Emily, smiling, kissed Paige on the cheek. "Funny how that didn't seem to bother you when you were at the games with Ted and Nicola!"

Paige smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but I know you've probably got..."

"... plenty of time to spend with my beautiful wife!" Emily tugged harder on Paige's arm until Paige relented and sat back down. Emily looped her arm through Paige's and rested her head on Paige's shoulder. It was still the most comfortable pillow Emily had found through the years. "This is nice," she said, stifling a yawn.

Paige nodded, scooting her body closer to Emily's. A second or so later, she squeezed Emily's hand. "Thanks."

* * *

"Oh, my God!" Emily said, pointing to the scoreboard. "The Kiss Cam! I had no idea they did that here!"

"Well, yeah!" Paige said, realizing only after she'd said it that Emily had never stayed long enough to see the Kiss Cam before. "I used to kiss the kids, when they were younger. You know, before they reached the age where that was 'uncool.'" Paige made the air-quotes with her fingers.

"Aww..." Emily said with a soft pout. She kissed Paige on the cheek. "Well, I still think it's cool!"

Emily clung tight to Paige, watching in joy and amazement as couples from all over the arena had their moment in the spotlight and obliged with a kiss. "I don't suppose they'd put two old lesbians up on the big screen," she mused. "Who would want to see that?"

"Hey! We're not old! We're well-seasoned!"

And just like that, their neighbors turned to face them as their faces showed up on the Jumbotron. It was like a dream come true for Emily; a dream that she'd never known she had.

Emily had kissed Paige countless times over the years. But each kiss was special and, somehow, different – although, of course, she couldn't remember them all. They were each a moment in time; precious for that moment, and, collectively, they wove together to tell a beautiful love story. It was like a series of love poems, each beautiful on its own, and, together, forming a lovely, romantic book. And that kiss, on the kiss cam, was like the epilogue to their book; bringing all the poems together and making sense of them all.

The crowd went crazy after the kiss. Emily put her hand over her heart in shock that a simple kiss could garner such a reaction. One of Paige's friends nudged her with his elbow and pointed to the scoreboard, where a still image of the kiss was being shown with the words,

 **Congratulations on twenty years of marriage,  
and twenty years of #SOUL.  
We love you!  
\- Ted & Nicola**

"Did you know about this?"

Paige shook her head. "If I had, I wouldn't have tried to hurry you home!"

Emily was fumbling for her phone, but she was too slow. Fortunately, one of their neighbors had gotten the whole thing on video – a video that Emily would watch over and over through the years.

"Well, I guess the kids didn't forget all of your kisses in this old stadium after all!"

Paige just shook her head, smiling with as much pride in their kids as joy for what they'd done. "I can't believe they did it." After the cameras panned away and the game started up again, she gave Emily another kiss. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too." Emily squeezed Paige's arm and rested on her shoulder. She couldn't wait for the next game. She was starting to love arena football, too.

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks so much for joining me for this week of Paily. I must say, it was the most fun I've had writing in quite some time. Big thanks, again, to thecatfromaliceinwonderland for supplying the prompt and letting me take it in a few different directions.**

 **Special thanks also to all the reviewers, especially those who took the time to review all seven episode (even the infamous episode 6...).** **It's great to know that the Paily fandom is still out there and active! (And isn't it nice to see that some of those old-favorite fics that we haven't heard from in a while are beginning to get updates?)**

 **I love you all! Stay happy! :)**


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